Stop The Presses
by donnag76
Summary: My take on what happened at the press conference at the end of Spider-Man:Homecoming. I may be wrong, but, who cares. I own nothing. Marvel owns it all. I just borrow the characters every now and then. Happy reading! Pepperony forever!
1. Chapter 1

**Stop the Presses**

Pepper Potts saw Tony enter the press conference after her out of the corner of her eye. He sat at the table beside the podium, docile with his hands in his lap. She wondered absently which hand the ring was in. She knew he brought it. He was Tony Stark, after all. That's what he did. He sat there the entire time she made her opening remarks, not making a move until she introduced him. Pepper saw him slip something into his pocket, no doubt the engagement ring. Pepper smiled a self-satisfied smile. So, he _did_ have it.

"Thank you, Miss Potts," he said graciously. "Ladies and gentlemen, I will be brief."

And…he was. Pepper waited, gripping her chair unconsciously. She waited for the moment when Tony wheeled around with his patented flair and popped the question, but, that moment never came. He spoke briefly about some new Stark Industries tech, gave an update on Rhodey's progress to a curious reporter, and answered a few general Iron Man-related questions, before saying "Thank you all for coming. Have a nice day." Tony turned and looked at Pepper. It took a minute for it to register he was waiting on her. Pepper rose and led them back into the smaller room where they'd been before the press conference. He followed closely with his hand at the small of her back.

"You didn't do it," she stated simply when he closed the door.

"Do what?"

"Propose."

"Oh, that," Tony said with a wave of his hand. "I was going to, and then I started thinking."

"Okay," Pepper said slowly, not quite sure where he was going.

Tony started to pace. "I announced I was shutting down the weapons division at a press conference and Obadiah tried to kill me," he began. "I told the world I was Iron Man at a press conference. Venko saw it and he came after me. I _completely_ embarrassed Justin Hammer on worldwide TV and he tried to take us both down. I called out the Mandarin in front of the cameras and Killian blew up our house. Do you see a pattern here?" He saw Pepper smile and continued. He stopped pacing and stood in front of her, taking hold of her upper arms. "Let's face it. My track record with the press _sucks_." Pepper laughed softly. Tony rubbed her arms gently. "I…didn't want this to be a media circus. In there just now, I decided this was something that needed to be done in front of an audience of one." He raised his voice and spoke over his shoulder. "Or two. I _know_ you've got your ear to the door. Might as well come in." Happy slinked into the room through the door that led to the hallway. "Good help is _so_ hard to find," Tony said to Pepper. He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the engagement ring. "Geez, Hogan. What did you get all over this?" he said, holding it up for inspection.

"I'm sorry that waiting on you to quit dragging your feet for the past decade may have dulled the shine," Happy shot back.

'Tony," Pepper said, drawing his attention back to her with a hand to his cheek. "I believe there was something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes," he said resolutely. "Marry me." It came out as more of a statement than a question. "I'll even throw in new business cards that say _Virginia P. Stark, CEO_." He slid the ring onto her finger before she had time to reply.

"Of course you will," Pepper said with a shake of her head and a chuckle. "Yes. I will marry you."

"Swell."

Tony looked so incredibly pleased with himself, Pepper _had_ to kiss him. 

A little while later, they were in the car on the way home. As Happy navigated the streets, Tony and Pepper rode in the backseat. They sat close, her left hand resting on his knee. "You know I'm serious, right?" Tony questioned, looking at the ring on her finger. "I love you and _really_ want to marry you. It wasn't just some big publicity stunt."

"I know," Pepper reassured him. "I love you, too." She held her hand up in front of her to admire the ring. "We should have a pretty good life between press conferences."

"I let you off easy this time," Tony came back. "Just wait and see what I do when the baby comes."

Pepper turned and saw his playful smirk. He kissed her quickly. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Maybe being Mrs. Stark wouldn't be _too_ hard…as long as she kept Tony away from the microphone.

 ****

 **Author's Note:**

 **So...I'm back. News from the early releases of Spider-Man:Homecoming got my creative juices flowing again. This one is especially for my FFN BFF nancyozz. I hope you like it, my friend. Feedback is very welcomed. I would LOVE to hear what you think. PEPPERONY FOREVER!**


	2. Epilogue

**Stop the Presses**

 _Epilogue_

The glass doors opened and Pepper walked out into the lobby of the Stark Industries Headquarters. After three weeks away, she was relieved that nothing seemed to have changed. It was early. The only other person there was her secretary.

"Good morning, Miss Potts. I'm sorry," Bambi corrected. "Mrs. Stark."

"No need to apologize," Pepper told her. "I'm still getting used to it myself."

"How was your honeymoon?"

"Wonderful," Pepper told her.

"Three weeks in Italy? I would imagine it was." The secretary pulled a stack of yellow papers from a desk drawer. "Here are your phone messages," she said, handing them to Pepper. "Anything urgent has already been taken care of."

"Thank you." Pepper leafed through the stack. "I will get to these as I can."

"I kept your mail in a separate box. I will bring it in later, when you've had a chance to settle in. However, I _did_ tell the courier to leave the package he brought on your desk."

"Courier? This early? Hmm." Pepper straightened the messages. "I guess I will find out what it is soon enough," she said with a smile.

"It's good to have you back," Bambi said, returning the smile.

"It's good to be back." Pepper walked to her office and closed the door behind her. After stowing her purse and briefcase, she sat down and stared at the box on her desk. It didn't seem suspicious and curiosity was getting the best of her. She unwrapped the plain brown paper, revealing a white box with a note card taped to the top. Carefully removing the card, she read, in familiar script:

" _You kept your end of the bargain. Now, I'm keeping mine."_

Pepper smiled. She opened the box and pulled out a business card. The _Stark Industries_ logo was emblazoned in red in the corner. The print in the middle boldly spelled out:

 _Virginia P. Stark_

 _CEO_

"Exactly what he told me they would say," Pepper mused aloud. She put the box into her desk drawer, disposed of the wrappings, and slid the business card she held into the corner of her desk blotter. Pepper looked through the telephone messages and chose one to return. She dialed the number and waited for someone to answer. Glancing at her desk, she saw the card peeking out at her. She pulled it free to read once more.

"Good morning," a chipper voice on the other end of the line said. "Empire Construction."

"Good morning. May I speak to Mr. Taylor?"

"One moment, please," the chipper voice replied. "Who may I say is calling?"

Pepper leaned back in her chair and held the card in front of her, studying the bold print. With a smile, she answered, "Virginia Stark."


End file.
